Synopsis:
GONE GIRL - directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn - unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife? (c) Fox
Usually when Fincher makes a film there's an underlying meaning to it all or it is more than what it seems but based on what I have seen from this movie the story seems pretty straightforward but it does have some underlying meaning to it but it is pretty easy to grasp even at the first watch. So the foundation of the story in the film is already located at the synopsis and if you know more than that, you are now delving into spoiler territory, so here is what I have to say about the execution of the story. It was full of twists and turns that really makes the film be unpredictable because there is a lot of instances in the film where I thought the film was going in this direction but it suddenly went into a very different direction and I loved that because it kept me on guessing and guessing on what's going to happen. It really helped the movie feel fresh and it revealed a lot of details on how the story will progress.
Another thing that I loved in the execution of the story though is the usage of the flashbacks and the how it showed the vantage points of the lead characters. The flashbacks were done in very subtle fashion because it didn't feel forced and it showed just the right characteristics of our leads in just a short amount of time. Also, through the use of flashbacks, we were able to see how the relationship of Nick and Amy Dunne worked out; basically the flashbacks were like looking at something from a keyhole. The vantage point of the characters in the film was a huge help to offer insights in the film because through this aspect we were able to know more from the characters but most of all it was a way to divide how this husband and wife view their marriage and their views on each other.
The film was headlined by Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike with the help of Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, and Kim Dickens. Firstly let's have our leading actors, Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, this in my opinion is one of Affleck's best performance (if not the best) he displays the nuisance with this character in perfect fashion because in one scene you can get behind that this guy is innocent but if you even see just one little detail that kind of unravels his character, you'll think that he's guilty. I love that part of his performance because through this aspect we can see some complexity with the characters. Rosamund Pike on the other hand, without a doubt delivered her best performance, she was basically a chameleon throughout the whole film because she can just change her emotions in an instant and I also loved what she did with her accent mainly because she basically had multiple tongues in the film as she can speak English in a lot of ways (sorry I'm a sucker for that). Pike and Affleck's authentic performance were definitely two of the highlights in the film.
Now let's talk about the supporting cast, Tyler Perry plays a confident, smart lawyer who mostly specializes in domestic cases (husbands accused of killing wives) and in my opinion, Perry was really solid in this film because he showed how confident the character really is with ease. Now I'm not familiar of Perry's Madea films but with what I've seen him do in this film, this guy surely has more talent than what he is capable of showing. Next up is Neil Patrick Harris, mostly this guy plays the uber charismatic roles in comedy films but in this film he was in the exact opposite of the spectrum because he was downright creepy in this film, from his mannerisms down to his voice it really fits his character and it felt like a breath of fresh air especially from NPH. Lastly are two very strong female characters that is if without their performance, it would be a very different ballpark, Carrie Coon plays Affleck's twin sister and to me she was great in it because she really displayed that she's the voice of reason to Affleck's conflicted character, it was a great way to show that they are both alike and different. Kim Dickens plays the investigators overseeing the disappearance of Amy Dunne, like I said, she is one of the strongest characters in the film because she really showed how eager she is to finish the job and even without dialogue you can really see the fire in her eyes.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross comes back once again to partner up with David Fincher for the original score and I could not have been happier with their work, why? Simply because it's nothing short of amazing, the eerie, moody score that they did for the film worked very well for two reasons. One it really helped the scenes feel more atmospheric, and gloomy which really gave off a creeping vibe throughout the film. Two it's because the score mirrored the characters very well, even though their is no dialogue, the score pretty much did the talking as it was through this medium that we were able to comprehend the psyche of a certain character. Like Reznor and Ross, Jeff Cronenweth reunited with Fincher once again to work on the cinematography for this film and his work was beautiful to look at. It honestly felt like I was watching something occurring in front of me and I was really impressed by that because this was shot in digital format and I am not a big fan of that. In addition, the shots were moody, bleak, and grim, it really accompanies the tone of the film well.
Like I said a countless times earlier, this is a David Fincher film and you can clearly see that just by watching the film. From the shots to the score, it has Fincher's fingerprints written all over. This in my opinion is one of Fincher's best work yet and quite frankly a personal favorite of mine. From start to finish, Fincher holds you on the neck with this film and it gives off this slow burn that will let you digest each detail by the passing minute. It really was worth the wait and to be honest I wanted to see more from this film by the time it's done.
As you may know, Fincher mostly makes dark and ominous films and this was not an exception, what I do love with his direction in this film though is that it has very dark comedic undertone to it and it really helps to somehow break the ice and the humor really benefits the film to feel fresh. The humor was great because it was done subtly because it showed how the media really works in reality, it greatly parallels our world as it shows how the audience can conceive what is being showed to them by the media. Fincher displayed that aspect perfectly.
Overall:
"Gone Girl" is an unpredictable thriller that keeps you on guessing from start to finish. It was smart, twisted, funny and unequivocally beautiful boosting with great performances from it's stellar cast, Pike in particular was a knockout in this film and Affleck delivered through and through. "Gone Girl" is surely one of the year's best films and one of Fincher's best works.
Grade:
Favorite lines/dialogue:
I can't post my favorite lines this time mainly because it may come across as spoiler-ish.
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